Rev 20,11-15 and 21,1-8 contain the last two vision reports. The first does not deal
with a general resurrection followed by a
general judgment with respectively reward and condemnation. Attention is negatively
focused on the final judgments of Death
and Hades, as well as of those whose names are not found written in the book of life. In
the second vision John sees a new
heaven and a new earth and, more specifically, the new Jerusalem, i.e., the church
universal of the end-time. The voice from
the throne and God himself climactically proclaim final blessings. The covenant formula
announces God's dwelling among the
peoples, the adoption formula even a divine filial relationship: these are the main
content of the ultimate blessings.
Hermeneutical reflection on annihilation or transformation, on theocentrism versus human
responsibilty and on the
expectation of Christ's imminent parousia conclude the study.

Page 369

resurrection like the one mentioned in Dan 12,1-2, a resurrection of
the dead as a precondition to be present at the judgment. Eternal life and eternal
punishment are the alternatives after the judgment according to anyones works15.

Yet text and context force
us to correct this initial picture. If with 20,11-15 John means the second
resurrection  but the expression is not used  one must not forget what
he has written in 20,4-6: the martyrs (cf. 6,9-10), probably all Christians, come to life
before the millennium; this is the first resurrection. The rest of the dead do not come to
life before the end of the millennium. Are, in Johns opinion, the still living
future martyrs (and other Christians) also standing before the throne of judgment (v.
12a)? This is not evident.

The question arises whether
the second resurrection of v. 13, suggested by the first mentioned in vv. 5-6, could be
that of the unbelievers alone and whether the books (v. 12b) only contain their evil works16 and have to be
properly distinguished from the book of life (v. 12c) in which the names of the believers
are written (v. 15a). This view is supported by the fact that in 20,11-15 attention
appears to be given to punitive judgment alone, not to reward and salvation17. What John narrates
here seems to be different from the twofold judgment mentioned in 11,18: the time
for judging the dead, for